Megaman X4: Shadows of the Past
by StrykeEmUp
Summary: A novelization of Megaman X4. 6 months after the induction of Repliforce, a tragedy occurs that labels them Mavericks. The Hunters are sent to stop them, but someone else is pulling the strings. Rated for violence, language and angst. CHAPTER 2 IS UP!
1. Chapter 1: Prelude to Destruction

Megaman X4: Shadows of the Past

By: StrykeEmUp

Rated T

**Chapter 1: Prelude to Destruction**

Dragoon was a tall, proud reploid. He was created as the Maverick Hunter's 14th Grapple Division commander. Though his unit held no more than ten Hunters, he led them with pride. He always put duty and honor before any emotions he might have had. Maybe that was the reason why he was so hesitant to accept an offer he "couldn't refuse."

"Long have I fought alongside Megaman X and Zero," Dragoon stated aloud. He let his eyes wander over the Maverick Hunter insignia painted on his armor. "To have the power to fight them…" He clenched a clawed hand as a cloaked figure, about as tall as Dragoon himself, smiled from the shadows.

"You've always wanted to test your limits. This would be the perfect way."

"The perfect way…" Dragoon trailed off, looking over the dead Hunters that were sprawled about on the ground. They had numerous scorches and burns on their armor and bodies. It wasn't his fault; he had to kill them. They followed him when he told them to fall back. A crime punishable by death during war. But, there wasn't a war. Yet.

"Dragoon. Fight for me and I will give you unlimited power!"

"…Okay," the ten foot tall dragon reploid decided. "Tell me what I have to do." The veiled figure grinned.

"Bring the Sky Lagoon down."

* * *

The city of Arcadia was a marvelous sight. The bright neon signage, floating sky walks and noisy pedestrians all gave the city color in some different way. Many different types of vehicles dotted the ground, fighting for the right-of-way. Iris peered down through an angled window at the busy streets and compared them to the vast area around her.

"So this is the Sky Lagoon? I never thought it would be so…" The brunette girl trailed off.

"Congested?" Sparke finished for her. Iris gave her a warm smile. "Yep, this would be the highlight of Arcadia."

"So this is where everybody hangs out after work?" The brown haired girl regarded.

"You got it. Speaking of which," the black haired girl pushed herself off of the railing, "you still look like you're on the job." She motioned at Iris, who looked down at herself.

"Hey! It's not my fault I'm still wearing my armor! You're the one who dragged me out of there at 5 o' clock on the dot." The shorter girl pouted. Sparke shook her head before downing the rest of her energy drink. She stretched before spying a group of guys walking toward their direction.

"Well, never the less, you won't get the guy's attention in that armor. See ya!" Sparke winked before heading off toward the group of men. Iris shook her head with a smile. She didn't need to attract the attention of anyone. She was taken.

"Well, almost…" She thought aloud. The more she thought about _him_, the more her heart skipped beats. She smiled and sighed as she headed off toward a small souvenir store.

* * *

"How is the production coming along?" Colonel asked a much shorter reploid wielding a clipboard. He stood in a massive chamber that held numerous workers and various parts of machinery.

"Very good, sir. We are finishing up the plating now. Should be ready to launch in 0500 hours."

"Excellent. Keep up the good work," Colonel stated as he nodded off a salute and walked out of the holding bay. He glanced at his internal clock and sighed. "17:44," he whispered to himself before sighing. Iris was supposed to call and let him know when she got to the Sky Lagoon. He fished out his nano phone and was about to call her, but hesitated. The last time he checked up on her he got a severe verbal lashing from Sparke about being so overprotective. He would spare himself the grief for now and let her be.

"What trouble could she get into anyway?"

* * *

"So," the mighty General of the Repliforce started, "what is it that you want to speak to me about?"

"It's about the Maverick Hunters, General," the cloaked figure from before opened. "They are far too eager to please the humans! They continue to hunt down innocent reploids without mercy. Do you believe they pose a significant threat?"

"Perhaps," General started. The robed reploid interjected.

"You already know the truth, General. Their sole objective has been to kill any reploids that fail to do as the humans order!" General let his eyes fall, now deep in thought about what the mystery man was saying. "It's in your best interest to stop them now, before they turn on you! You possess enough power to destroy them!" The storm outside raged on, spitting lighting and bellowing out fierce thunderclaps.

A long moment of silence ensued before anything was said. General was done weighing his options. "You're dismissed," he spat curtly. The dark figure went wide-eyed.

"What?!"

"I will not betray the humans. Remove yourself from my sight; my business with you has concluded." He commanded, anger leaking into his sturdy voice. The cloaked figure stood up slowly and turned around.

"Very well. You will change your mind soon enough, I _assure_ you!" He stated before walking out the large room, laughing sinisterly as he did so. The General sat there, thinking heavily about the situation and what was said.

* * *

Megaman X, commander of the 17th Elite Unit saluted Midas, the current leader of the Maverick Hunters.

"And that's that! Good job, X." Midas waved him off before turning his gaze to the holo monitor in the center of the room. X turned on his heels and exited the room. He removed his helmet and ran a hand through his sweaty hair. Though the Maverick attacks had subsided greatly over the past 6 months, he still ran regular missions. Most of them involved patrolling the previous areas of high Maverick activity. Every once in a while some rouge mechanoid would start tearing up the environment or a group of metools would pester passersby, but since the Repliforce was inducted the Maverick Hunters were seeing less and less action.

"I know if _I'm _bored with the lack of action, then that means Zero must be ready to crack!" X said to himself as he walked into his quarters. To make things worse, the Hunter's ranks grew every day, shortening the amount of missions they had to do by that much more. X shrugged before glancing at his armor with a grimace. Once again, he managed to trash another set of armor. He reached for his mini cooler and grabbed a can of energy soda. As soon as the cool liquid entered his throat, a sound that he hadn't heard in months howled throughout the HQ: the attack klaxon. He downed the rest of his drink and dashed out of the room, not bothering to discard the can properly.

* * *

Visions of blood and dead reploids littered the ground and walls. The same blood that was on the ground was covering his hands. His head pained him greatly, the screams of terror bounced around his hollow mind, a dark figure was telling him to kill. Zero screamed.

_Emergency! Emergency! All Maverick Hunters report to Assembly Hall on the double. This is not a drill!_

Zero's eyes shot open as he awoke suddenly. He looked at his hands, scanning them for abnormalities. He sighed heavily after realizing he had another nightmare. Shaking his head, he listened to the klaxon message. After finally comprehending, he phased on his armor and headed toward his destination.

* * *

"I want your group to check this part of Arcadia," Midas commanded, "and the 1st will surround the city." A group of Hunters about-faced and warped off to their destinations. Zero ran into the room and stood beside X, who looked like he just got there himself.

"Sup, X?" Zero asked his friend while suppressing a yawn. X smiled at him before plopping his helmet down on his head.

"Not a whole lot. It might be Mavericks," X responded. Zero smirked.

"Well it's about time!"

"X and Zero, you two will go to the Sky Lagoon. We have reports that a giant mechanoid is hovering around the floating city. It looks like it belongs to Repliforce." X nodded and headed toward the warp pad. Zero, on the other hand, looked around.

"Midas, where's Dragoon?" The crimson Hunter inquired.

"He took the 14th out for a training drill some time ago. I contacted him and informed him of the situation. They should be somewhere in Arcadia." Midas reported. Zero nodded quickly before catching up with X. They exchanged glances before warping off to the Sky Lagoon.

To be continued…


	2. Chapter 2: The Cost of Freedom

Megaman X4: Shadows of the Past

By: StrykeEmUp

Rated T

**Chapter 2: The Cost of Freedom**

Iris looked frantically about. Humans and reploids alike were running around aimlessly, tripping over each other while trying to find a way off the Sky Lagoon. It was utter chaos. She ran over toward the shifting tide of panicked people, desperately searching for Sparke. She called her name, but her voice was drowned out by the constant cries of fear.

The crowd suddenly reversed direction, revealing a stout brown mechanoid with an energy pistol. He picked random targets and shot at them. Iris stood frozen with fear as it locked its beady yellow eyes on her. It wasn't the droid that shocked her, but rather the insignia painted on its shoulder plate.

"Repliforce," Iris stated before the crazed mechanoid pointed its weapon at her and pulled the trigger. What happened next happened within the blink of an eye: Iris closed her eyes, expecting to feel intense pain as the bolt struck her. This wasn't the case, however, as she felt someone jerk her out of the way before a muffle grunt of pain could be heard. Iris opened her eyes and saw Sparke holding a hot barreled rifle. The Maverick was on the ground, a large hole in its chest. Iris clambered to her feet, surprised at what happened.

"Are you okay, Iris?" The black haired, now cream color armored, girl asked her friend while eyeing her for injuries. Iris nodded her head, puzzled as to how Sparke got her armor so quickly.

"I think so. How did you?"

"One thing I've learned from the Colonel is you _never_ go anywhere unarmed," Sparke smirked at the younger looking reploid. "Come on, girl. Let's get the hell outta here!"

A few yards away from the two girls, X and Zero both arrived in the center of the chaos. No sooner than they had landed, a group of flying mechanoids assaulted them. Zero brandished his saber and skillfully cut down one half of them while X took out the other half with pinpoint accuracy.

"Alright, X. Let's split up and search for that Maverick!" Zero exclaimed before he dashed off, not bothering to give X a choice in direction.

* * *

Zero jumped and sliced through a group of flying droids, sending metal debris all over the ground. He spied a group of people huddled up in a corner, eyeing him with admiration. He smirked before ducking under a bolt of energy. The mechanoid that took the shot soon found a well-armored boot across the side of its head. Zero eyed the rest of the area before dashing off to the next. As he did so, he thought he saw a familiar face. He threw his saber at a droid, piercing its power cell. He then grabbed the limp robot, while withdrawing the saber, and hurled the droid into a group of mixed mechanoids closing in on his position. The timing was perfect as the damaged bot exploded, causing a chain reaction of equal sized explosions. He looked off in the distance for the familiar face but found a monstrous mechanoid claw in her place. Then he saw a blue blur that appeared to be holding on to the mechanoid's back.

"X! What the hell is that?!" Zero hollered into his headset. He saw the giant swipe for its back, just barely missing the blue Hunter. X dismounted from the large droid and fired a volley of plasma bolts into its chest plate. Zero hurdled forward as fast as his legs would allow but could only watch as X was caught off guard by a tail swipe. He flew through a pane of glass and grunted as he struggled to stand up. A clawed hand was about to claim his life, but a cream armored reploid pulled him up and out of the way. She took a few shots at the mechanoid and rolled to avoid another blow. Her name finally came to mind as Zero reached the area they were in.

"Sparke!" Zero called out, shoving his way through a crowd of people. He brought his arms up to catch her as she caught the business end of a tail-swat. As the two reploids tumbled backward, X rolled free from a vertical claw swipe. He fired a volley of charged plasma into the monster's hand, causing it to howl out in pain. It disappeared from sight as it sunk beneath the Sky Lagoon. X ran over to the two downed reploids.

"I don't know where that thing came from, but we have to stop it!" Sparke spat as she stood up slowly, clenching her side. Zero eyed her suspiciously for the briefest of moments before responding calmly.

"That makes three of us. Come on, X, let's," Zero started, but was interrupted when the Sky Lagoon shook violently before dead silence ensued. The three Hunters looked at each other, uncertain of what to think. Zero had a gut feeling as the trio ran down the nearly empty hall. As they reached the final door, the city in the sky shook violently once more. Muffled noises could be heard on the other side. Zero struck the unpowered door with his saber before wedging his hands into the crack, attempting to pry it open. X shifted uneasily as the ground beneath them kept quaking.

"Almost got it," Zero said through labored breathing, pushing to doors open with a roar. He winced as the faint noises grew into large explosions. Then he thought about something. "Wait…if I had to pry the doors open…"

"Zero! The Sky Lagoon is falling!" X shouted out. Zero looked back at his friend, his eyes wide. "Come on, we gotta…" X grunted before he was thrown back. A clawed hand erupted from the floor beneath him, grabbing Sparke in the process. It dragged her through the floor, only to chuck her through a separate part of the floor seconds later. X fired at the Maverick's claws as they crashed through the floor. Sparke looked over towards the life pods as she sorely stood up. Then she turned her attention to Zero.

"Go check the power reactor!" She shouted to Zero, who was already heading down the hall. She stood up and noticed how quickly the surrounding cityscape was growing. The giant Maverick had flown away, once Zero made it through the doorway, disappearing from sight.

"Sparke, get to the escape pods!" X shouted, looking around the sky walk for civilians that were straggling behind. He heard Zero's voice shout something in his ear before an explosion rocked him out of the nearby window.

* * *

Zero ran past a few crazed mechanoids before bursting into the power reactor room. What he saw shocked him. First, the entire room was decorated with flames and exploding equipment. Second, he wasn't the only one in the room.

"Zero?!"

"Dragoon! What are you doing here?!"

"Never mind that! That Maverick took out the power! The Sky Lagoon will come crashing to the ground!" Dragoon hollered out over the explosions.

"That means Arcadia…no!"

"It's time I made my escape. I suggest you do the same, Zero!" Dragoon shouted one last time before pulling himself through a hole in the wall. Zero swore out loud.

"Damn! The city below will be destroyed…I have no choice!" He contacted X and shouted a barely audible message before performing a short IT hop.

"(_If there's anything I learned today, Repliforce is up to something..._)" He thought before the Sky Lagoon hit Arcadia with full force.

* * *

Dragoon watched the scene before him with marvel. The massive and mighty Sky Lagoon was utterly destroyed, as was the ground city beneath it. He let his mind wander as the view before him unfolded. The entire metropolis seemed to scream as the sky fell, dozens of life pods and vehicles scattering about. Then, BOOM. Nothing but fire and chaos. He clenched a fist and thought about the deal he had made.

"Time to receive payment."

To be continued…


	3. Chapter 3: Fated Rivalry

Megaman X4: Shadows of the Past

By: StrykeEmUp

Rated T

**Chapter 3: Fated Rivalry**

X awoke with a start. He blinked several times, trying to believe what he saw to be real. He wasn't surrounded by the horrible sight of a demolished city, nor did he hear the screams of innocents. He saw that his left arm had been…

"Wha?! What happened to my arm?" X spied his appendage. It seemed a lot lighter than his other arm.

"Careful, now! Don't move around so much! I haven't finished crafting the muscle formation around the new bone…sir." A voice new to X bellowed from behind him. He swiveled his head around to see who it was.

"And you are?" X inquired. The new reploid bowed before replying.

"My name is Kicker, lead medic of the Medical Staff…sir." The white-clad reploid introduced himself. X looked puzzled at the newcomer.

"When did you get here?"

"About 25 minutes ago. Good thing I did, other wise both you and the lady wouldn't have made it." Kicker explained as he turned his attention to a monitor that started flashing. X looked over at another table and saw a silver haired reploid lying on it. It looked like her arm was laid down on a table next to her. He then snapped his head back toward his own arm. He decided against moving it too much, not needing another verbal lashing. Even though there was no muscle or skin tissue, something just didn't seem right about it.

"I have to admit, you have a _really_ complicated bone structure, sir. It was test of patience to attach her arm onto your shoulder. But, I think I got the job done. What do you think?" Kicker stated out of the blue and calmly. X turned to regard him with shock.

"_Her_ arm?!" Kicker looked up at X's sudden outburst. But before he could answer, Sparke interrupted.

"Yeah, that's my arm, alright. Careful with it, 'kay?" Sparke said as she gripped the stub of her severed appendage. X regarded her with confusion. He thought about a lot of things.

"Why?" That was all he could say, as protective plating formed around the metal bone. Sparke simply smiled at him.

"I owed you that. Now we're even." Sparke said, lying back down on the table. X was about to protest but Kicker interjected this time.

"Megaman X, sir. If you would please hold still for just a moment, I can have you back out on the field."

"The field…the Lagoon!" X exclaimed.

"Right! Now this will take…just…a…sec." Kicker said while carefully attaching a thin metal tube into a socket on X's shoulder. "There! You're all done, sir." No sooner than Kicker released X, the blue clad warrior jumped from his bed and bolted for the door. Before he walked through, he looked over at Sparke.

"Thank you, Sparke. You'll have to tell me about what happened when I get back." He said as he warped off. Though he didn't see it, Sparke smiled before shutting herself down.

* * *

Ten minutes before…

Zero pushed the last piece of debris off of him, sending it a little under ten yards in a random direction. He painstakingly stood up and picked rubble from his long hair. Blood was flowing slowly from his forehead. He looked about at the scene. It was nothing short of total annihilation. The once towering Arcadia had become a city of ruins. The Sky Lagoon was no more. Various bodies could be seen jutting out from the wreckage.

"The city's a graveyard. Those Mavericks will pay!" He shouted through clenched teeth as he spotted the large mechanoid that brought the Lagoon down. Without a second thought, he gave chase to the mech.

While slicing through lone droids and narrowly avoiding falling debris, Zero thought about X and Sparke.

"(_Did they make it out alright? I sure hope so. But somethin' bugs me about that girl. Maybe she's...what the?!_)"

The ground beneath Zero suddenly gave away, sending him down a dark shaft. He gripped the wall in an attempt to slow his plummet, but felt something in his arm pop and let go. He landed the best way he could: on his back. He groaned as the pain from his arm spread to his back. Because of the length of the drop combined with his 300 lbs frame, he was slightly imbedded in the soil. He managed to uproot himself after catching his breath and stood up.

"Who would've thought? A hole." He said blandly before taking note of his now throbbing arm. Then he noticed the walls vibrating slightly. Without a second thought, he dashed over to a nearby energy capsule and broke open the seal. He poured the raw energy down his throat and nearly gagged as the bitter fluid assaulted his taste receptors. He could have placed the capsule in a slot in his armor, but he found that it took much longer to work that way. Crushing the spent energy container in his now healed hand, he proceeded to wall climb up the side of the closing corridor.

* * *

Iris awoke with a daze. It seemed she had passed out after escaping from the escape pod. She was in the middle of the silent chaos, mostly unable to move. She looked around for someone. _Anyone_. She spotted a few badly injured people a few yards away from her position. Then her heart froze as a small group of mechanoids made their way over to them and attacked without mercy. She shut her eyes and tried to block out the sound of blades tearing through flesh and the screams of pain. When she opened her eyes again, she was greeted with the sight of a bloodthirsty Maverick marching toward her. She opened her mouth and tried to scream, but nothing came out. She heard a loud shout, followed by a small explosion, followed by more small explosions. Then a figure gently flipped her over and spoke to her.

"Iris!"

"Z…Zero?"

"What are you doing out here?!" He questioned as he moved her out of sight behind some rubble.

"I…was on…the Sky Lagoon…when it…fell…" She stammered out through labored breaths. Zero laid her down on the ground, being careful not to jar her in any way. She had broken something, but what exactly he was unsure. "I think…I'm the only one…that escaped…from the life pod. That…thing; It killed…killed…" She felt tears start to well up in her eyes.

"Iris, try not to think about it. I'll handle that Maverick!" Zero said before dashing off in the direction of Eregion. The brunette reploid watched as Zero dashed off at top speed, saber ready. She smiled as she thought about him, even in her current state.

* * *

"HAH!" Zero shouted as he swung his mighty blade across Eregion's chest plate, causing it to spark viciously. The giant mechanoid howled out and took a swipe at the swift Hunter. Zero jumped over a volley of energy shots that were intended to fry him. He turned his momentum into a roll in order to dodge a tail swipe, then jumped from the roll onto the dragon's knee. He bounded up the front of the mechanoid and stabbed his saber into the plating, taking it off when Eregion swatted him off with a giant claw. Zero hit the ground with a thud, feeling pain rise in his arm as the plating fell on top of it. He quickly dislodged his arm as the giant started to float in the air. He scooped up his saber hilt and stood up slowly.

"It's not over yet!" Zero shouted with a smirk as the mechanoid rushed him. Zero let go of his arm and activated the saber. As Eregion dashed at him, Zero dashed straight toward the monster without fear. Determination in his eyes he set his plan into motion. "(_I only get one shot..._)"

In one swift movement, Zero twisted his feet in order to turn his body so that his back was facing the ground, dodge the claw slash, find the hole in the giant's armor and thrust his blade into the cavity. Then, just as quick as he attacked, he righted himself again and dug his saber into the ground, using the friction to slow his momentum. He eyed a collapsed Eregion from a kneeling posture, smirking when he saw the behemoth flicker and explode. As the warm air blew past him, he stood up and withdrew his blade before placing it back into its holster. He tapped a button on the earcuff of his helmet and contacted the HQ.

"Zero to HQ. The Maverick has been destroyed. Requesting additional objectives."

"_Good job, Zero. Can you confirm the source of the target?_" A male navigator responded. Zero walked calmly over toward the mangled chest plate and flipped the chunk of metal over. He growled lowly as his suspicions were confirmed.

"It's definitely one of Repliforce's. Can't miss their insignia from a mile away."

"_That's what I was afraid of,_" Mida's voice replaced the navigators. "_Zero, readings show a large energy spike heading your way._"

"Yea, I feel it. I know who _this_ is…" Zero spoke knowingly as his pivoted around to see a large group of Repliforce soldiers warp in. "I'm keeping the channel open," Zero whispered as Colonel warped in last, his blade ready.

"Zero! What are you doing here?" Colonel asked, placing the tip of his blade into the soil. Zero narrowed his eyes ever so slightly.

"I could ask you the same, Colonel. Anyway, I was responding to the Maverick threat. What's _your_ story?"

"I came to save my sister. She…"

"She's fine. I just saved her." Zero said, pointing to a patch of debris. Colonel sighed a big breath.

"Thanks, Zero. I owe you one." He said while dismissing his troops. As soon as they got ready to warp off, a group of Maverick Hunters, weapons ready, warped in behind Zero. Megaman X phased in next to him. Colonel stopped his forces immediately.

"Colonel, you mind telling me what that thing was doing wearing Repliforce's crest?" Zero insinuated. Colonel raised an eyebrow out of confusion. He looked over at the metal heap Zero was pointing at and gasped.

"I…I've never seen that thing before! It's surely not from Repliforce!" He replied. Zero shook his head.

"Not good enough, Colonel. Disarm your men and follow us back to HQ." Now Colonel was pissed.

"Tell me you're not judging us as Mavericks!" Colonel pleaded. Zero stood with his saber drawn out, unmoving.

"Don't make me say it again," the crimson hunter's voice took on a darker tone. Colonel clenched his teeth.

"We had _nothing _to do with that attack!"

"Colonel, don't jump to conclusions! It'll be easier if you just surrender," X spoke, wielding a shaking arm cannon.

"My men and I will _never_ drop out weapons. We fight to the death! If you want to label us Mavericks, go ahead!" The infuriated Colonel warped off in a flash of light. The rest of his unit followed.

"Wait, Colonel! Damn! This isn't good…" Zero vented. He looked at X who was dismissing the group behind them.

"So, what's going to happen now?" X inquired. Zero started walking off toward where he had set Iris down. X followed.

"The shit just fell, X. Who knows what's going to happen…" He scooped up a now unconscious Iris in one arm. "…but we gotta stop it before it hits the fan." X nodded with disappointment before warping back to HQ. Zero looked down at the sleeping girl and sighed. "At least she's not in the middle of it, again." He murmured before warping out of the burnt out city.

To be continued…


End file.
